This was my first time reading a Sandro Balzo mystery and I thoroughly enjoyed Murder a la Mocha.. This is a fun cozy, especially for the dog lovers. I found the plot interesting, the characters engaging, and the protagonist likable. This was my first of Ms. Balzo’s mysteries but it won’t be my last!

Maggie meets her in laws for dinner and unfortunately her mother in law to be has a heart attack. On the way home Maggie finds a dog, when she tries to return the dog the following day Maggie finds a body and a missing pet sitter who happens to be her business partners Niece.

There are lots of different threads in the novel to keep you interested, it's well plotted and the characters are interesting. Although it's part of a long running series of books I had no problem reading it as a stand alone novel.

This is the first book I read in this series and it was a great discovery.
It was a fun read, enjoyable and entertaining.
I read the book in one setting as couldn't put it down.
I loved the cast of characters, both human and canine, and the humour.
The mystery was great, full of twists and turns, and it kept me guessing till the end.
Even if it's the 11th instalment I had no issue in understanding the plot and the characters.
I look forward to reading other instalment in this series.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Severn House and Netgalley for this ARC

This is the 11th in series and a delightful cozy mystery read. I enjoyed the dogs, the story and the sleuth. I look forward to the next in series. . Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC. My opinion is my own.


Maggy Thorsen and fiancé Sheriff Jake Pavlik are excited to meet his parents for dinner. During dinner the night takes a sad turn when his Mom has a heart attack. Maggy is on her way home when she stops and rescues a abandoned chihuahua that jumps in front of her car. Rescuing the dog proves to be fatal when it leads to a murder. The next day she attempts to return the dog to its pet sitter when she finds a dead body instead of the dogs owner and the pet sitter is on the run from the law as the accused.
The Mother passes away and while the family is grieving Maggy is thrown into a murder investigation. Now the two murders are not adding up to Maggy and she begins to piece together the clues.

Maggy ends up with the chihuahua returned to her and it quickly bonds with her English Sheepdog. . Her investigation takes sinister turn as she grows closer to the truth. i loved the well crafted sleuth and whodoneit kept me guessing. The charcters are all likable and realistic people that bring the story to life. The dogs are adorable and a fun part of the story. I look forward to the next in series.

The 11th installment of the Coffeehouse Cozy series quickly propels Maggy Thorsen into two storylines. First, she and fiancé Sheriff Jake Pavlik meet his parents for dinner only to have his mother collapse from a heart attack. Then, as Maggy travels home she rescues an abandoned chihuahua, Mocha, an act that leads to murder.

Jake and his father deal with his mother’s death in a very personal way. Meanwhile, Maggy returns Mocha to her owner’s pet sitter, Arial. Maggy’s partner, Sarah, is Arial aunt and things get out of hand when Maggy returns to the Satterwite home to check on Arial and finds a dead body, lots of blood and no sign of Arial or Mocha.

While Arial’s disappearance is initially puzzling, she immediately becomes a suspect when George Satterwite is later discovered, murdered. Two bodies, one unidentified and the only person missing is Sarah’s niece, Arial.

Lots of twists in this one. The widow Satterwite has an alibi. Sarah refuses to believe her niece could be involved although evidence keeps mounting. And Mocha is suddenly returned to Maggy’s house.

When Jake finally gets home, he finds Mocha and Maggy’s Old English Sheepdog Frank managing an interesting relationship and then he, in a surprising development, bonds with the chihuahua.

Author Sandra Balzo’s characters are well-drawn, feeling real and vulnerable. The mystery is smartly plotted and moves nicely, pulling the reader through interesting situations and revealing relationships.

Poor Maggy! Things went sideways when at her meeting with Jake's parents (even worse for them, to be sure) and then she narrowly misses hitting Mocha the dog and he leads her to finding a body. Whew. And, to top it off, the main suspect in the murder is her business partner Sarah's niece Ariel. Of course, Maggy is going to work this one out, even as she keeps juggling her coffee house, her relationship, and the investigation. There are some nice twists. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is a quick read (it's also short) that will be fine as a standalone.

Entertaining from start to finish.
Love the writing style of this author, it is funny and intriguing with clues along the plot that will keep you guessing what is really happening.
We have a lost and found dog: Mocha, a dead body and the mysterious disappearance of two of the main suspects.
Love the interactions between the characters, and how it can relate to reality by giving away the flaws and bickering of day to day life.

Although this is a coffee house mystery, Mocha is a dog, not a cup of Joe. Maggy finds Mocha roaming around late at night, which leads to texting the owner. When returning the dog, Maggy encounters a dead body, which leads to the start of this cozy mystery. Maggie and Pavlik’s relationship has developed over the series, as does her witty repartee with Sarah, co owner of Uncommon Grounds. A quick, enjoyable read, for dog and mystery lovers.

Murder a la Mocha is a well written cozy mystery. I enjoyed the plot, characters and writing. My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my digital arc this is my unbiased review review.

Good one where even the dogs go through 'adjustments '. Love the team effort throughout and agree about my expert with Chinas. Enjoy!

I'm a Maggy Thorsen fan and a Chihuahua enthusiast, so this book was a natural for me.

Coffee shop owner Maggy is driving home after a visit with her fiance's parents when she spots a bedraggled, runaway Chihuahua and takes the dog home--much to the chagrin of Maggy's sheep dog Frank. Her effort to reunite Mocha with her owner lead Maggy straight into a(nother) murder mystery in which the chief suspect is the niece of Maggy's business partner, Sarah Kingston. Arial (named after the font, not the mermaid) is caught up in a double homicide and on the run. Locating Arial and figuring out her role in the killings propel Maggy and Sarah through a trail of conflicting, seemingly random clues.

Thorsen's Maggy is a likable heroine with a quick wit and sharp deductive skills, but Murder a la Mocha is puzzler that stubbornly doesn't yield its secrets until the novel's end.

Full Disclosure--Net Gallery and the publisher provided me with a digital ARC of this book. This is my honest review.

I have been a long time reader of this series and the cover of Murder a la Mocha was irresistible.
Maggy Thorsen is meeting her fiance's parents for the first time and when the evening ends in tragedy, Maggy feels helpless.
When Maggy finds a dog late at night,it sets off a string of events that puts Maggy in the line of fire.

I enjoyed the different stories that were going on and the mystery was well told and well thought out.
I was engaged from the beginning and the story kept my attention until the end. I was caught by surprise at the reveal, which doesn't usually happen.

I definitely recommend this book to cozy mystery lovers of all ages.

I volunteered to read and review an ARC of this book provided by the publisher and NetGalley.